


Arnold the Capybara, River’s Protector and Friend

by ChemicalRoseRomance



Series: the good, the bad - the dad-life [4]
Category: Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator
Genre: Family Fluff, Gen, Growing Up, I don't know how I came up with this, POV First Person, POV Inanimate Object, Past Relationship(s), i suppose I just connect with stuffed animals nobody wants
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-24
Updated: 2017-08-24
Packaged: 2018-12-19 13:02:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11898297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChemicalRoseRomance/pseuds/ChemicalRoseRomance
Summary: Happiness comes in form of a stuffed Capybara, unfortunately only very special people realise it.(This is a oneshot following a fic called "Titles are Hard, Bro!", but you don't need to read it to understand the plot of this one.)





	Arnold the Capybara, River’s Protector and Friend

 

I remember very little of my first days. It was dark and cramped. There were no people, nothing to see or hear and I felt quite sad. I was all alone.  
Suddenly, one day, there was a noise directly above me. Light came through a little slit and for the first time I could see that I was wrapped up in plastic and locked into a box. A hand reached inside and pulled me out, quite roughly I might add.  
“What’s this?” The lady that had picked me up held me out for another one to see. She shrugged “Some sort of rodent. Just put it with the other plushies.”

  
I ended up in a shelf, next to other animals. Besides me were a bear with a bowtie and a bunny rabbit pair, one had a pink and one a blue belly. They left soon enough and were replaced by a dog and a mouse, then there were a giraffe and an elephant and many more. I never left. I stayed in the same place, losing hope that any child would chose me.  
One afternoon, a couple came in. They acted different than all the others I had seen. The two were about to have a baby and usually those couples couldn’t keep their hands off each other, enjoying the last days of solitude and looking forward to the child. This couple, however, kept apart and the air seemed to be loaded with tension.  
The man walked up to the shelf and started smiling. I couldn’t believe it when he picked _me_ up. “Look, a capybara.”  
“Craig, we don’t need a stuffed toy. We’re here to get a stroller and figure out if they have the formula the doctor said would be best.”  
“You’re right.” The man, Craig, put me back on the shelf. I felt heartbroken, he had known me. They walked away and I only saw them again as they left the shop.  
The day passed without anything extraordinary happening. I sat and waited, just like I did every day. They lady from the cash register went to lock the door, as somebody burst in – it was the man form this afternoon.  
“Sorry, I’ll be right out. I just –“ He ran to my shelf – and picked me up!  
“That’s what you came in for just as I was trying to close?”  
“Yeah, sorry. It’s important.”  
“It’s alright.” She took me off him and scanned the tag on my belly. “That will be16,99$ please.”  
“Here, keep the change. Have a nice evening.”

Again I was in his hands and as he left, he took me with him. We got into a car – I was put on the passenger seat – and drove a short distance. All the while he talked to me. “I’m having another girl and you’ll be perfect as her little protector. She’s going to be called River-” He broke into a smile “And I’m going to love her with all my heart, just like her older sisters, Briar and Hazel. You’re going to be with her and help her grow up; she’s going to need it.” His voice darkened “Not the best moment to have a baby. We’re getting divorced, my wife – well, soon to be ex-wife – moved into an apartment. She plans on travelling as soon as River is born. Might as well raise her on my own. But I’m sure it’s going to be easier with you around.”  
We stopped and he carried me inside. “Are the girls asleep yet?”  
“Yeah, was the capberry the thing you had to ‘take care of urgently’?”  
“... Yes. I’ve decided that our daughter won’t get a stupid bunny or bear, she’ll have ... Arnold the capabara.” So, Arnold was my name. Not what I personally would have chosen, but I already liked it. I had been given a name.  
“Great. Put Arnold in her crib so the twins know he’s River’s new friend. I’m driving home, it’s been a long enough day.”  
“You could sleep in the guest room.”  
“Craig ...”  
“I get that we are over and that there is no way of fixing us. But it’s late and I don’t want you to drive home by yourself when you’re weeks from having our baby.”  
“I’m pregnant, not an invalid. If it makes you feel better, I call you as soon as I get home.”  
“Alright. Just take care.”

I stayed alone in the crib for a while. Sometimes Craig came in to make preparations for the baby – my River. It wasn’t all that boring, the room was nicely decorated and I had spent so much time on the shelf that everything else seemed like a luxury.  
One day Craig entered the room. He had tears in his eyes “She’s there. Absolutely perfect and healthy.”  
He took me to the hospital to meet _my_ River – she was tiny. They put me into the crib next to her and when she cuddled close to me for the first time, I finally felt at home.  
The following years, I was almost always at River’s side. When she fell asleep, I was there to fend off the nightmares and make friends with the monsters under her bed.

  
The beginning was hard, Craig struggled to make sure the twins and his newborn were equally well taken care of. There was one night, I had been forgotten in the living room, I saw him crying. He stopped as soon as Hazel entered the room to ask for a glass of water. Afterwards, he saw me lying on the blanket and took me to River’s room. He hugged me close to his chest and I hoped that holding me gave him at least a little bit of a comfort.  
When we spent the nights at the house of River’s mom – Ashley – I always felt a little bit out of place. Ashley was nice, but she never took notice of me other than to console River with my presence. It never felt quite like home.

  
I remember getting kidnapped by the blond twins. It was terrible – but Thomas patched me back together. Thomas, I thought, was really nice. He immediately loved and cared for River, as well as everyone else – especially Craig.  
I had been forgotten again in the living room. Instead of crying, there was now hushed laughter. Craig and Thomas sat on opposite ends of the couch, their legs entangled. Their conversation didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me – but they seemed really happy. When they noticed me on the recliner, Thomas got up and took me to _my_ River. “You’ll watch over her, won’t you? Good night, keep her save. Would be nice if you could convince her to sleep in, but no pressure.” He put me down, stroked River’s cheek and walked away.  
As River grew up, she needed me less frequently. First, the tea parties ended, the she stopped cuddling me in her sleep. At the age of thirteen, I no longer stayed in her bed but found an honorary place in her shelf. She had grown up and was no longer in need of protection. I stayed her friend and kept watch over her none the less.  
  
Unexpectedly, she picked me up again. “I think it’s time to say goodbye. You shouldn’t just be forced to catch dust in a shelf for the rest of your life. She’s going to love you just as much as I do.”

  
River took me to the hospital to meet Alexa – she was just as tiny as River had been but much more furious. I was put into the crib next to her, when she cuddled close to me, her cries quietened and finally stopped. I knew that she was _my_ Alexa – and I would protect and comfort her, just as I had River for the last years.

 


End file.
